Proximity detection in networked freezer stocking management

ABSTRACT

A system for an ice merchandiser having a compressor in a compressor enclosure to cool the ice merchandiser includes a proximity sensor positioned to detect an amount of ice within the ice merchandiser, and a communications component coupled to the proximity sensor to receive signals from the proximity sensor representative of the amount of ice in the ice merchandiser, wherein the communications component is configured to convert the received signals to a digital format and publish the signals via a network connection.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/807,131 (entitled PROXIMITY DETECTION IN NETWORKED FREEZERSTOCKING MANAGEMENT, filed Apr. 1, 2013) which is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND

Managing ice merchandisers to keep them stocked with bags of ice hasbeen performed by drivers of ice trucks, who visit sites and check theice merchandisers visually to determine whether more bags of ice shouldbe added. This process leads to wasted effort when the ice merchandisersdo not need more ice. It also may lead to delay in refilling icemerchandisers and result in lost sales if not refilled quickly enough.

One proposal to begin to address such problems has been to add weightsensors under the ice merchandiser to weigh the entire ice merchandiser.This retrofit solution is not able to offer level information on morethan one product inside the merchandiser. Additionally, the retrofitsolution components are all located on the exterior of the icemerchandiser, and may be negatively affected by adverse weatherconditions or subject to tampering or vandalism.

SUMMARY

A system for an ice merchandiser compartment having a compressor in acompressor enclosure to cool the ice merchandiser compartment includes aproximity sensor positioned to detect an amount of ice within the icemerchandiser compartment, and a communications component coupled to theproximity sensor to receive signals from the proximity sensorrepresentative of the amount of ice in the ice merchandiser compartment,wherein the communications component is configured to convert thereceived signals to a digital format and publish the signals via anetwork connection. The proximity sensor can include one or more of acapacitive sensor, Doppler sensor, inductive sensor, infrared sensor,laser rangefinder, magnetic sensor, optical sensor, reflective photocellsensor, radar, sonar, and combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, the proximity sensor includes a heating elementproximate the proximity sensor. The proximity sensor provides an outputto a system outside a cooled volume of the ice merchandiser compartment.The system takes the output and provides a signal on a networkrepresentative of the level of ice inside the ice merchandisercompartment.

In some embodiments, multiple proximity sensors may be used in the chestto measure the level of different sized bags of ice.

In further embodiments, temperature sensors and contact switches may becoupled to the system to provide signals representative of temperatureinside and outside of the chest, and to indicate whether a chest door isopen.

The system may provide signal processing to provide signalsrepresentative of the sensed parameters to the network. In oneembodiment, the system includes a device having an IP address tofacilitate exposing the sensed information via a website like interface.A wireless modem may be included.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1B are block diagrams of systems to detect stocking of ice inan ice merchandiser, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a top view block diagram of components in a compressorenclosure for the ice merchandiser of FIGS. 1A-1B, according to anexample embodiment.

FIGS. 3A-3B are side block diagrams illustrating further details ofsensor enclosures within the ice merchandiser compartment of FIGS.1A-1B, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a block schematic diagram of an example heater, according toan example embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block flow diagram illustrating sensed parameters andcomponents involved in data flow, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an example interface to interact with the system of FIGS.1A-1B, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram a system for performing functions andcommunications, according to an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way ofillustration specific embodiments that may be practiced. Theseembodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilledin the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood thatother embodiments may be utilized and that structural, logical, andelectrical changes may be made without departing from the scope of thepresent invention. The following description of example embodiments is,therefore, not to be taken in a limited sense, and the scope of thepresent invention is defined by the appended claims.

The functions or algorithms described herein may be implemented insoftware or a combination of software and human implemented proceduresin one embodiment. The software may consist of computer executableinstructions stored on computer readable media such as memory or othertype of storage devices. Further, such functions correspond to modules,which are software stored on a storage device, hardware, firmware, orany combination thereof. Multiple functions may be performed in one ormore modules as desired, and the embodiments described are merelyexamples. The software may be executed on a digital signal processor,ASIC, microprocessor, or other type of processor operating on a computersystem, such as a personal computer, server or other computer system.

FIGS. 1A-1B are block diagrams of systems 100A and 100B to detectstocking of ice in an ice merchandiser 110, according to exampleembodiments. The ice merchandiser may include one or more icemerchandiser compartments 112. One or more different types of sensorenclosures may be placed inside an ice merchandiser compartment 112 invarious embodiments. FIG. 1A depicts a system 100A that includes asingle sensor enclosure 115A. FIG. 1B depicts a system 100B thatincludes two sensor enclosures 115B. The ice merchandiser may includeone or more sensor electronics modules 142, which may control or providepower to the sensor enclosures 115A or 115B. In one embodiment, twoproximity sensors may be housed in one or two sensor enclosures 115A or115B. The proximity sensors may be arranged to obtain proximitymeasurements of items, such as bags of ice placed on the floor of theice merchandiser. For example, FIG. 1A may include a single sensorenclosure 115A that includes two proximity sensors, and FIG. 1B mayinclude two sensor enclosures 115B that each include a proximity sensor.In one embodiment, one side of the ice merchandiser compartment is usedto hold bags 124 of one size or weight, and the other side is used tohold bags 126 of a different size or weight. While each proximity sensoris shown located within sensor enclosure 115A or 115B, each proximitysensor may be positioned within a wall of the compartment 112 or outsidethe compartment 112, with a hole in the compartment permitting sensingof the amount of ice in the compartment 112 in further embodiments.

In one embodiment, a proximity sensor has a field of proximity detection128 that is wide enough to enable a proximity sensor to detect itemslocated anywhere on one side of the ice merchandiser compartment. Forexample, the field of proximity detection can be thirty-five degrees,though other angles may be used. One or more further sensors may beincluded in a sensor compartment disposed within the ice merchandisercompartment 112. For example, a temperature sensor may be coupled to thesystem to provide signals representative of the temperature within theice merchandiser. In another example, a contact switch sensor may becoupled to the system to provide signals to indicate whether a chestdoor is open. Sensor compartment 130 may also include multiple sensorsto sense further parameters, such as humidity.

In some embodiments, multiple proximity sensors may be used in the chestto measure the proximity of different sized bags of ice placed withinthe ice merchandiser compartment 112. For example, in an icemerchandiser with two doors, one door may be used for bags of one weighthaving a first proximity sensor, and the other door may be used for bagsof a different weight having a second proximity sensor. Thus, twoproximity measurements are provided to the system for publishing via thenetwork connection. In some embodiments, the system may provide alertsregarding a need for restocking one side or the other of the icemerchandiser when the ice level falls below a predetermined threshold.In various embodiments, the alerts may be provided via text messages,email, voicemail, or other mechanisms including various social media.Information regarding the ice merchandiser may be accessible from atleast mobile devices, computer systems, and other devices capable ofproviding information.

FIG. 2 is a top view block diagram 200 of components in the compressorenclosure 140 for the ice merchandiser of FIGS. 1A-1B, according to anexample embodiment. The compressor enclosure 140 may include acompressor electrical enclosure 210, where the compressor electricalenclosure 210 may contain circuitry for controlling the compressor andfan, as in standard compressor designs. The compressor electricalenclosure 210 may include a signal conditioner that takes voltagesignals entering the system on the lower part of the picture andconverts them to a zero to five-volt range. In some embodiments, sensorsmay be provided within the compressor electrical enclosure 140 to senseinternal temperature, external temperature, and compressor power draw.Still further sensors may be included in further embodiments. Thecompressor electrical enclosure 210 may include condenser tubing, andwires from the sensors may follow the path of the condenser tubing.

A communications enclosure 215 may be included, which may containcircuitry for controlling sensors that have been added to the icemerchandiser 110 in various embodiments. The communications enclosure215 may receive compatible voltage signals from the signal conditionerin the electrical controller 210. The circuitry may include an IPaddress and modem, which may provide data to a network such as theinternet. The data may be representative of the sensed parameters, whichmay indicate the amount of ice within the ice merchandiser compartment112. For example, sensed parameters may include proximity measurements,temperature, humidity, or other parameters. While the communicationsenclosure 215 is shown located within the compressor electricalenclosure 140, the communications enclosure 215 may be positioned in anyother location that allows it to receive sensed parameters.

A communications enclosure 215 may include a web-enabled sensorappliance 144. The web-enabled sensor appliance 144 may include aninternet communication device, analog/digital inputs, or relay outputs.The web-enabled sensor appliance 144 may include a microcontroller, suchas an Arduino microcontroller. The web-enabled sensor appliance 144 mayoperate with a power source, such as a nine-volt DC transformer. Theinternet communication device may send data to a webserver on theinternet, and a web browser may be used to view the data collected bythe webserver. The web-enabled sensor appliance 144 may include anantenna extending out of the container to facilitate communication.

FIGS. 3A-3B are side block diagrams 300A and 300B illustrating furtherdetails of sensor enclosures 115A or 115B within the ice merchandisercompartment 112 of FIGS. 1A-1B, according to example embodiments. Acircuit board 310 can have one or more proximity sensors 315 mounted onit, along with one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) 320 near theproximity sensors. In an embodiment, two proximity sensors may be housedin one or two enclosures. For example, FIG. 3A depicts a sensorenclosure 115A that includes two proximity sensors 315, and FIG. 3Bdepicts a sensor enclosure 115B that includes a single proximity sensor315. In one embodiment, the proximity sensors 315 and LED 320 may beenclosed in a transparent proximity sensor enclosure 325. The proximitysensor enclosure 325 may be made of polycarbonate materials in oneembodiment, and the volume enclosed may be heated sufficiently by theLED 320 to remove or prevent moisture from condensing or freezing on theproximity sensors 315, enabling increased accuracy of the proximitymeasurements of the items stocked in the ice merchandiser 110. Infurther embodiments, the LED 320 may be positioned very close to theproximity sensors 315, and the LED 320 may heat the proximity sensors315 sufficiently to obviate the need for the enclosure 325. Theproximity of the LED 320 to the proximity sensors 315 may thus vary indifferent embodiments, but should be within a distance to allow it toperform the function of enabling increased accuracy of the proximitymeasurements. In still further embodiments, a heater substrate 400 canbe attached to the inside or outside of the enclosure 325, which canheat the enclosure to remove or prevent moisture from condensing orfreezing on the proximity sensors 315.

The circuit board 310 may further include control circuitry 330 that maycontrol the proximity sensors 315 and LED 320, and may communicate withthe circuitry in the electrical enclosure 210 in various embodiments.The processing of data may be split between such circuitry in variousembodiments, or only one set of circuitry may perform all the functions.In still further embodiments, one or more sensors, such as temperaturessensor 335 may be included on the circuitry board 310.

FIG. 4 is a block schematic diagram of an example heater 400, accordingto an example embodiment. The example heater 400 may be used to providea clear field of proximity detection for the proximity sensor. Theexample heater 400 may include a substrate 340 having fine resistiveheating wires 410 to provide heat when powered via circuitry. Thesubstrate 340 may be adhesive, with the wires on or embedded, similar toadd-on rear windshield heaters for automobiles. The example heater 400can be positioned proximate the proximity sensor, in the field ofproximity detection of the proximity sensor, such as on or embeddedwithin the transparent proximity sensor enclosure 325. The heater may bepositioned outside the field of proximity detection on the proximitysensor enclosure 325 if it provides sufficient heat to create a clearfield of proximity detection when proximity measurements are obtained.

FIG. 5 is a block flow diagram 500 illustrating sensed parameters andcomponents involved in data flow, according to an example embodiment.Internal conditions 510 represent conditions inside of the icemerchandiser 110 in one embodiment. Internal conditions may includemeasurements from two proximity sensors 512 and 514, and an internaltemperature sensor 518. External conditions 520 may include compressorenclosure or hood temperature 522, compressor power draw 524, amaintenance log 526, and power loss indications 528.

The connection module 215 may receive the information corresponding tothese conditions at 530. The connection module 215 may be a 3G, 4G,WIFI, or other type of wireless communications module in variousembodiments that is coupled to the internet represented at 532. Theinformation may be provided to server 534, and then via network 536,such as the internet, to a provider of the items at 538. The provider538 may be an ice company in one embodiment responsible for restockingthe ice merchandiser. One or more user interfaces may be provided on apersonal computer, smart phone, tablet, or other device enabling aperson responsible for restocking to determine whether an icemerchandiser needs restocking, and with what types of items. Theinformation may distinguish between different sized bags of ice, such as10 lbs or 20 lbs.

FIG. 6 is an example interface 600 to interact with the system of FIGS.1A-1B, according to an example embodiment. In one embodiment, the server534 processes the information and creates a user interface allowingviewing of the information in various forms. Multiple differentparameters may be published and viewable via interface 600. Aweb-enabled interface, or any number of other media, such as socialmedia, including email and other forms of electronic communication maybe used. Still further, the system may provide visible and audiblealerts proximate the ice merchandiser.

In example interface 600, proximity measurements are shown at 610, 612,and 614. The newest proximity measurement is indicated at 614, withprior proximity measurements available to the left side of the display.In one embodiment, clicking on the latest proximity measurement mayinitiate communications back to the system 100A or 100B to provide areal time proximity measurement. In another embodiment, the proximitymeasurement may be represented by a diagram (e.g., bar graph, pie chart,etc.) or a series of diagrams indicating how much ice is left in the icemerchandiser.

A graph 620 illustrates desired parameters over time. In someembodiments, the period may be selected by the user. Illustrated ongraph 620 are internal ice merchandiser temperature 622 and ambienttemperature 624, which varies significantly over the few days that areshown. As desired, the internal temperature 622 may be constant. Notethat a winter environment is occurring in this representation as theambient temperature dips below the internal temperature. Whiletemperature is shown on the graph, other parameters may be shown infurther embodiments. In addition, a link to multiple settings 630 may beprovided to enable the user to change timing of when data isperiodically provided, or change any other control points used tocontrol the system 100A or 100B, including the compressor and fan insome embodiments.

Some example control points and corresponding notes are shown in thefollowing TABLE 1:

TABLE 1 Product Product Level Measured Level Within ± 5% Product LevelDifferentiation by Merchandiser Side Compressor Status DefrostMonitoring and Control Electric Current Draw Monitoring Power OutageMonitoring Compressor Hood Temperature Change Monitoring MaintenanceTracking and Alerts Interior Case Temperature Temperature ChangeMonitoring Merchandiser Door Status Open Door Alarm Set Points

FIG. 7 is a block diagram a system for performing functions andcommunications, according to an example embodiment. FIG. 7 is a blockdiagram of a computer system or circuitry that may be used to processand publish sensed data and information according to an exampleembodiment. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a hardware and operatingenvironment is provided that is applicable to any of the circuitry,servers and/or remote clients shown in the other Figures. It should benoted that many devices to provide the functions described herein may beformed with far fewer components than described below. Components may beincluded or excluded as desired and appropriate for the functions to beprovided.

As shown in FIG. 7, one embodiment of the hardware and operatingenvironment includes a general purpose computing device in the form of acomputer 700 (e.g., a personal computer, workstation, or server),including one or more processing units 721, a system memory 722, and asystem bus 723 that operatively couples various system componentsincluding the system memory 722 to the processing unit 721. There may beonly one or there may be more than one processing unit 721, such thatthe processor of computer 700 comprises a single central-processing unit(CPU), or a plurality of processing units, commonly referred to as amultiprocessor or parallel-processor environment. In variousembodiments, computer 700 is a conventional computer, a distributedcomputer, or any other type of computer.

The system bus 723 can be any of several types of bus structuresincluding a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and alocal bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The system memorycan also be referred to as simply the memory, and, in some embodiments,includes read-only memory (ROM) 724 and random-access memory (RAM) 725.A basic input/output system (BIOS) program 726, containing the basicroutines that help to transfer information between elements within thecomputer 700, such as during start-up, may be stored in ROM 724. Thecomputer 700 further includes a hard disk drive 727 for reading from andwriting to a hard disk, not shown, a magnetic disk drive 728 for readingfrom or writing to a removable magnetic disk 729, and an optical diskdrive 730 for reading from or writing to a removable optical disk 731such as a CD ROM or other optical media.

The hard disk drive 727, magnetic disk drive 728, and optical disk drive730 couple with a hard disk drive interface 732, a magnetic disk driveinterface 733, and an optical disk drive interface 734, respectively.The drives and their associated computer-readable media providenon-volatile storage of computer-readable instructions, data structures,program modules, and other data for the computer 700. It should beappreciated by those skilled in the art that any type ofcomputer-readable media which can store data that is accessible by acomputer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital videodisks, Bernoulli cartridges, random access memories (RAMs), read onlymemories (ROMs), redundant arrays of independent disks (e.g., RAIDstorage devices) and the like, can be used in the exemplary operatingenvironment.

A plurality of program modules can be stored on the hard disk, magneticdisk 729, optical disk 731, ROM 724, or RAM 725, including an operatingsystem 735, one or more application programs 736, other program modules737, and program data 738. Programming for implementing one or moreprocesses or method described herein may be resident on any one ornumber of these computer-readable media.

A user may enter commands and information into computer 700 throughinput devices such as a keyboard 740 and pointing device 742. Otherinput devices (not shown) can include a microphone, joystick, game pad,touch screen, mobile phone, mobile pad, satellite dish, scanner, or thelike. These other input devices are often connected to the processingunit 721 through a serial port interface 746 that is coupled to thesystem bus 723, but can be connected by other interfaces, such as aparallel port, game port, wireless, or a universal serial bus (USB). Amonitor 747 or other type of display device, including a touch screen,can also be connected to the system bus 723 via an interface, such as avideo adapter 748. The monitor 747 can display a graphical userinterface for the user. In addition to the monitor 747, computerstypically include other peripheral output devices (not shown), such asspeakers and printers.

The computer 700 may operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers or servers, such as remotecomputer 749. These logical connections are achieved by a communicationdevice coupled to or a part of the computer 700; the invention is notlimited to a particular type of communications device. The remotecomputer 749 can be another computer, a server, a router, a network PC,a client, a peer device or other common network node, and typicallyincludes many or all of the elements described above I/O relative to thecomputer 700, although only a memory storage device 750 has beenillustrated. The logical connections depicted in FIG. 7 include a localarea network (LAN) 751 and/or a wide area network (WAN) 752. Suchnetworking environments are commonplace in office networks,enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the internet, which areall types of networks.

When used in a LAN-networking environment, the computer 700 is connectedto the LAN 751 through a network interface or adapter 753, which is onetype of communications device. In some embodiments, when used in aWAN-networking environment, the computer 700 typically includes a modem754 (another type of communications device) or any other type ofcommunications device, e.g., a wireless transceiver, for establishingcommunications over the wide-area network 752, such as the internet. Themodem 754, which may be internal or external, is connected to the systembus 723 via the serial port interface 746. In a networked environment,program modules depicted relative to the computer 700 can be stored inthe remote memory storage device 750 of remote computer, or server 749.It is appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary andother means of, and communications devices for, establishing acommunications link between the computers may be used including hybridfiber-coax connections, T1-T3 lines, DSL's, OC-3 and/or OC-12, TCP/IP,microwave, wireless application protocol, and any other electronic mediathrough any suitable switches, routers, outlets and power lines, as thesame are known and understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

1. A system comprising: an ice merchandiser compartment; a compressor ina compressor enclosure to cool the ice merchandiser compartment: anoptical proximity sensor positioned on a ceiling of the ice merchandizercompartment to detect an amount of ice within the ice merchandisercompartment within a field of proximity detection of the opticalproximity sensor; and a communications component coupled to the opticalproximity sensor to receive signals from the optical proximity sensorrepresentative of the amount of ice in the ice merchandiser compartment,wherein the communications component is configured to convert thereceived signals to a digital format and publish the signals via anetwork connection.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the opticalproximity sensor further comprises a heating element proximate theoptical proximity sensor.
 3. The system of claim 2 wherein the opticalproximity sensor further comprises a housing surrounding at least theoptical proximity sensor, and wherein the heating element comprises alight emitting diode within the housing.
 4. The system of claim 3wherein the light emitting diode is positioned to heat air within thehousing to remove condensation from the housing and to provide light toilluminate an inside of the ice merchandiser compartment.
 5. The systemof claim 4 and further comprising a controller to turn on the lightemitting diode to remove condensation, and to control the opticalproximity sensor to provide signals from the optical proximity sensorwhile the diode is on.
 6. The system of claim 4 wherein the opticalproximity sensor and light emitting diode are supported by a circuitboard.
 7. The system of claim 2 wherein the optical proximity sensorfurther comprises a housing surrounding at least the optical proximitysensor, and wherein the heating element comprises a heating wireconfigured to heat air within the housing to remove condensation fromthe housing to facilitate capture of proximity measurements of the icemerchandiser compartment.
 8. The system of claim 2 wherein the opticalproximity sensor provides at least a thirty-five degree field ofproximity detection inside the ice merchandiser compartment.
 9. Thesystem of claim 8 wherein the optical proximity sensor is angled toenable proximity detection of objects on an entire floor of the icemerchandiser compartment.
 10. The system of claim 1 wherein thecommunications component comprises a web server and a wireless networkconnection.
 11. A system comprising: an ice merchandiser compartment; afirst optical proximity sensor disposed on a ceiling of the icemerchandizer compartment and adapted to generate a plurality of analogproximity measurement signals representative of an amount of a firstportion of ice in the ice merchandiser compartment within a field ofproximity detection of the first optical proximity sensor; a secondoptical proximity sensor disposed on the ceiling of the ice merchandizercompartment and adapted generate a plurality of analog proximitymeasurement signals representative of an amount of a second portion ofice in the ice merchandiser compartment within a field of proximitydetection of the second optical proximity sensor; and a communicationmodule adapted to: receive the plurality of analog proximity measurementsignals from the optical proximity sensor; convert the analog proximitymeasurement signals to digital signals; and publish the digital signalsvia a network connection.
 12. The system of claim 11 wherein the systemcomprises a web server coupled to the optical proximity sensor.
 13. Thesystem of claim 11 wherein the system is located in a container thatincludes a compressor for the ice merchandiser compartment. 14.(canceled)
 15. The system of claim 14 wherein: different size bags ofice are placed on each side of the ice merchandiser compartment; a firstsize bag of ice is disposed so as to be detectable by the first opticalproximity sensor; and a second size bag of ice is disposed so as to bedetectable by the second optical proximity sensor.
 16. A methodcomprising: receiving proximity measurement signals from an opticalproximity sensor positioned on a ceiling of an ice merchandizercompartment to detect an amount of ice within the ice merchandisercompartment within a field of proximity detection of the opticalproximity sensor; controlling the optical proximity sensor to obtainproximity measurements from the inside of the ice merchandisercompartment sufficient to determine if ice should be restocked;controlling a heater proximate the optical proximity sensor to removecondensation from the optical proximity sensor; and publishing theproximity measurements via a wireless network connection to facilitateremote monitoring of the ice merchandiser compartment.
 17. The method ofclaim 16 and further comprising controlling the optical proximity sensorto provide proximity measurements on a selected schedule.
 18. The methodof claim 17 and further comprising controlling the heater to removecondensation a selected time prior to providing proximity measurements.19. The method of claim 18 and further comprising sensing temperaturewithin the ice merchandiser compartment and publishing the sensedtemperature along with the proximity measurements.
 20. (canceled) 21.The system of claim 1 wherein the optical proximity sensor includes aninfrared sensor, a laser rangefinder, or a reflective photocell sensor.22. The system of claim 11 wherein the optical proximity sensor includesan infrared sensor, a laser rangefinder, or a reflective photocellsensor.